Neuro’s top brain cancer fundraiser returns

A night dedicated to the memory of those lost to brain cancer and in honour of those still fighting the disease will raise money for research that will lead to better treatments.

The third annual A Brilliant Night gala will take place this year at Montreal’s Le Salon Richmond on Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. All proceeds will go to support The Neuro’s Brain Tumour Research Centre. The centre’s goal is to identify new, promising agents and strategies in the laboratory and to ensure they are brought quickly to the patients who need them.

Researchers at The Neuro are developing a brain cancer treatment program that individualizes each patient. Known as precision medicine, this treatment approach for brain cancer allows doctors to tailor treatment to patients’ biological characteristics. They are also using bioinformatics to determine why some normal stem cells become cancer stem cells, which will create new possibilities to prevent brain cancer before it occurs.

“Over the last 10 to 15 years, tremendous progress has been made toward our understanding of brain cancers, but we have a long way to go,” says Dr. Kevin Petrecca. “The study of cancer stem cells holds great promise for future brain cancer breakthroughs, and The Neuro is well positioned to lead the way in this area.”

This year’s A Brilliant Night will include educational installations that give guests a heightened sense of awe, inspiration and affinity to brain cancer research. Through an emotional and sensorial experience, A Brilliant Night will raise awareness of brain cancer and the importance of brain research.

Since 2015, A Brilliant Night has raised $1.6 million for brain cancer research. This money has been used to advance our understanding of the disease, with the goal of finding better treatments. During this year’s event, researchers will announce the latest findings the funds have made possible.

“The Neuro is such an outstanding hospital, with doctors, nurses, researchers, and all branches of staff operating at a top-tier level,” says Suzanne Wexler, whose mother was a brain cancer patient at The Neuro. “My family and I are forever grateful to everyone who helped extend her life almost four years, allowing her to see three new grandchildren born into this world. Through the glorious A Brilliant Night fundraiser, we hope to see more lives extended through cutting-edge brain tumor research at The Neuro.”

Brain cancer is the malignant form of a brain tumour. According to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, 27 Canadians are diagnosed with a brain tumour every day. It is estimated that 55,000 Canadians are surviving with a brain tumour. There are over 120 different types of brain tumours, making effective treatment very complicated. The most common type of primary malignant brain tumour is glioblastoma multiforme. It is nearly always fatal.

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